Safe Travels And Take Care

Edit by Charlie: I just wanted to add this to here also. As the editor, I get to put my thoughts up here and in the comments. 🙂 I want to publicly say “Thank You” to Dustin as well. He is an authentic points pro/enthusiast that has always put readers first. He has always talked about how much he loves writing about these things and it was always about that love, and not money, that kept him doing it each and every week. It has been a lot of fun messaging with him over the last couple of years about posts and, sometimes, even both of us working on similar posts with identical viewpoints at the same time! In this space, it is hard to find people that share your viewpoint on how to handle things like affiliate links but Dustin was not only always glad to be upfront and honest about such things but it was also helpful for me to be the same. 

Definitely make sure you give Dustin a follow on YouTube! He has done an incredible job growing that channel in just a few months and I expect it will become a go-to for many on YouTube for an honest and thorough perspective on credit cards and programs. Also, he has always been awesome with how he has handled comments here – both the ones that agreed with him and ones that were, frankly, quite disturbing from a couple of people!

Thanks, Dustin! It has been great!

If you have been tagging along on my articles, you’ll know I’ve been consistently posting every Wednesday for almost the last 2 years. It has been very fun, but like all good things in life they must come to an end.

Safe Travels And Take Care

While I contributed on Wednesday and occasionaly with extra articles sprinkled in here and there, helping people with credit cards, or travel has really been a passion of mine.

Each week, I’ve tried to bring articles that try to help someone learn something new, make someone think just a little bit differently, or even my experiences. Sometimes my articles failed miserably and other articles I think I did alright. But that its part of the fun (well for me). Not every article a winner, right?

My Angle:

First and foremost, I have always tried to be as transparent as possible. While other blogs sell you inferior credit card offers, I would mention better offers. I would personally rather have my integrity than extra points from a bonus referral.

While many people write about premium cabin travel, I attempt to travel for the lowest cost as possible. Sure I have indulged myself in business class here and there, but in general I fly coach. I’ve alway believe that most people aren’t looking for first class tickets, but more of a way to get from A to B on a decent airline.

My target audience has always been people who are looking to see the world for the least amount. It was never about luxury travel, since I’m pretty sure Delta economy class isn’t luxury 🙂

New Project:

I’m sure some of you have seen, me mention before, but in February I started my YouTube Channel.

It is a fun platform to talk about credit cards, points, miles, and travel. I also think this is a growing area for points and miles talk. Blogs are great, but even my wife told me, she’s more likely to listen to a video than read my articles. 🤔 Then again, I talk about them so much, she probably gets more than just a videos worth each day.

Since more people are turning to videos, I think there is a real opportunity for people here. So if you are thinking about getting into points and miles talk, that could be a route to consider.

While it may seem small, my channel is growing faster than I honestly expected. It might only be under 1,000 subscribers right now, but it grows everyday.

It is a different challenge to talk in front of a camera than to type behind a keyboard. I like the challenge and looking for ways to improve on my videos.

Since it seems I am doing well (by my standards) in that medium, I want continue and see where to goes.

The chart below shows my views and minutes watched since I launched my channel in February. They aren’t killer stats, but you can see it is trending upward, but who knows if that’ll continue. And each month, it keeps improving. Progress is progress, right?

 

Life:

Well, this is one of the main reasons I am stepping away from writing.

My life is in a different place now than it was 2 years ago, probably just like many of your own. This includes my professional life as a pharmacist and my personal life as well. But life is about to become even more exciting!

In the early part of 2019, my wife and I will be having our first child and to say we are happy would be an understatement. I look forward to showing this little person the world and hopefully they will enjoy seeing the world as much as I do.

Each week it seems I am finding myself pressed for time to get all my responsibilities completed. I’ve gotten them done, but sometimes it was at the last minute :-). From what I am told, babies require attention, so I’m sure I’d find it even more challenging to finish all my projects.

With my YouTube Channel growing and a baby on the way, I had to make the tough decision to stop blogging.

Thank You to the Readers:

It was really great to interact with each person who read or commented on any article I wrote, good or bad. I always tried to write with your best interest in mind, especially on the credit card reviews.

I keep the viewers interest as a top priority on my YouTube Channel as well. I do not have credit card affiliate links, so I can continue to keep viewers interest as a priority. Trust me, if a new credit card is terrible, then I want to be able to say that. 🙂

I’m pretty confident I didn’t sell anyone a bad product or credit card offer when other main stream bloggers were. They’ll sell you a bad card just to make a buck. Funny how those big shots still don’t know about the incognito/private browser for American Express cards 🙂

I definitely tried to respond to each comment I received, but sometimes life got in the way and I may not have. Interacting with you all was definitely enjoyable.

Thank You To Charlie:

Over the last couple of years, it has been a pleasure to be part of Charlie’s blog. I gained a friend in this process, that goes well beyond points and miles.

Charlie is a great resource, but more importantly great person.

I had been out of the blogging world for about a year when I had spoken to Charlie about contributing. I’m grateful for Charlie bringing me into Running with Miles. To say I was happy to be back in the blogging world was an understatement.

I was given the freedom to write about what I wanted. Which in todays world of points and miles it’s all about clicks and it was great never having to worry about that. Which is great, since some of my articles were as popular as Marriotts new flights and night packages.

Thank you for the opportunity to be part of Running with Miles. I have really enjoyed every minute of it.

Conclusion:

While this will be my last scheduled post, I may pop in every now and then. If you want to follow along with my YouTube Channel, feel free to check it out. If you subscribe, I appreciate the support.

Safe Travels and Take Care.